"...."
Drip. Drip.
"Kh... ugh...!!"
A girl had died before his eyes. A child they had shared precious memories with was gone.
Bell and Akumo stood face-to-face with their failure. Bell, in particular, was shattered by the horrific outcome; tears streamed down his face as his agonizing wails filled the air.
"Ugh...!!"
Sift—
"..."
'It was my mistake... because I hesitated.'
Tighten—!!!!!!
"Everything...!"
Akumo clenched his fist so hard his knuckles bled. He believed this tragedy occurred because he had wavered, because he hadn't stepped in sooner.
A cold, sharp fury toward himself boiled within his soul.
Step, step—
"At least the remaining children..."
Thud!!
".....?"
Just as he was about to move upward to protect the surviving Xenos, a stone rolled to his feet, thrown by someone above.
"Haa..."
Slide—
"Foolish."
Step, step—
The Akumo standing above the pit—the one from the Dungeon—spoke with indifferent coldness. He slowly pulled his robe back over his head and returned to the gathered Xenos.
"You aren't the only ones fighting here, you know~"
Flutter!
"Akumo-san!"
"Lyd, Ray, Gros. Keep watching."
"Pardon...?"
"It's not over yet. Neither the battle, nor the incident."
As Akumo spoke, a strange light began to emanate from the pit below.
Whir—!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
""""!!""""
Bell continued to sob, clutching only the jewel Wiene had left behind.
Akumo, sensing the presence of the Xenos standing above the pit as if guarding them, realized something was still to come. At that moment, someone approached.
Step, step—
"[O untrodden domain, O forbidden wall. On this day, this body turns its back upon the laws of heaven.]"
"Fels...?"
'A chant I've never heard...'
"[On this day, this body turns its back upon the laws of heaven. —— O voice that reaches not the staff of Pious, the cup of Salus, or the authority of healing —— I beg of you, wait.]"
Whoosh—!
Fels' chant filled the surroundings quietly but with absolute certainty. Light began to shimmer around Bell.
Whir—!!!!!!!!!!
"Bell...!!"
"This is..."
"[The King's judgment, the lightning of condemnation. If this body must burn for defying the providence of the Gods—— then I shall head to the underworld myself. Open, Charon, cross the river of the dead.]"
As the chant progressed, a brilliantly glowing magic circle expanded across the ground. Bell and Akumo immediately sensed that the energy radiating from the circle was anything but ordinary.
'It is a magic that has failed for the past eight hundred years, but...'
"[Hear me, O King of Hades, this maddening tremor. The ceaseless tears, the scattered wails. The price has already been paid.]"
'Please, let it succeed.'
Finally, a massive pillar of light enveloped them, surging upward as if to touch the heavens. Every being in the streets stood overwhelmed by the spectacle.
"[O path of light, take the determined past as a sacrifice and illuminate this foolish longing. Ah, I shall not look back.]"
Flash—!!!!!!!!!!!!
Even if they are called fools, even if they are branded monsters, heroes will save them.
'Wiene... the heroes haven't given up yet.'
"[Dia Orpheus]"
'So, do not give up either.'
And if that is so, those saved by heroes will also seek to help the hero.
Slide—!
"For I, too, have been saved."
For the hero who rescued them—as people, as those who yearned for salvation.
"That is...!"
"A Divine Return?"
"No, something is different."
"""...."""
The massive pillar of light, reminiscent of a God's ascension, commanded the attention of the Xenos, the Hestia Familia, and the Loki Familia alike.
"Are you using it, Fels?"
"Mana that transcends human understanding."
"I wonder what's happenin'~"
"It is undoubtedly a miracle."
Ouranos, Freya, Loki, and Hermes—all the Gods present—smiled at the sight unfolding before them.
"The Xenos who fought Akumo as an equal, even the black Minotaur..."
'Are they heroes only for the Xenos?'
"Or are they simply warriors who cherish everyone?"
Step, step—!
Hermes laughed with satisfaction at the miracles wrought by these new heroes before slowly departing.
Thud!
"Oh, are you leaving?"
"...Yes."
"Fufu, that child truly is mysterious, isn't he?"
'Even hidden by a robe, that child is also...'
Freya smiled contentedly from Babel at the sequence of grand, brilliant lights. Ottar began walking toward the battlefield to hear an answer from his friend.
Whoosh—!!!!!!!!!!
"That, too, must be a form of Pioneering."
Step, step—
"A blessing to all who fought like true warriors."
Akumo looked at the pillar of light alongside the Xenos and let out a refreshing laugh.
It was a tribute to everyone who had fought with sincerity to save someone and to affirm their own existence.
Shuuu—
"...."
'Resurrection...'
As the pillar of light faded, the jewel in Bell's arms gathered radiance, gradually taking the shape of a young girl.
""...""
Flash—!!!!!!!
Soon, a resurrected Wiene, without a single scratch, lay in Bell's arms. Bell called her name slowly, with extreme care.
".....Wiene?"
Slide—
".....!!"
"Bell..... Akumo....?"
A peaceful, familiar voice reached them, as if she were merely waking from a nap.
Drip! Drip!
""Yes, Wiene...!""
Tears of pure joy fell from the eyes of the two heroes. They welcomed her back with radiant smiles.
Step, step—
"Fels, you..."
"It was thanks to you all."
Grasp!
'Because of these heroes, I too have been able to affirm myself.'
Akumo approached Fels to express his gratitude for the miracle, but Fels took Akumo's hand instead, thanking the heroes who had finally allowed an eight-hundred-year-old, meaningless spell to succeed.
"My life... it did have meaning after all."
Squeeze!
"It always did, Fels."
"Fufu...."
Holding Fels' hand tightly, Akumo wore a smile brighter than ever before.
"Shall we all head back?"
"""...."""
"What's wrong? Is something bothering you?"
Akumo held the Eye of Knossos, intending to lead them back to the Dungeon through the man-made labyrinth, but the Xenos hesitated.
"Um.... Akumo-san...!"
"Yes?"
"If we go back now.... what happens to Bell-chi and the others....?"
"..."
Slide—
Akumo pocketed the Eye of Knossos and analyzed the situation coldly.
Optimistically, it was an ideal outcome where his true identity remained hidden and no Xenos were sacrificed. But that was only a surface-level view.
'Too many people have already intervened.'
"Now that it's clear they are a manifest threat..."
Bell's position was compromised after he used magic against adventurers to save Wiene, and an investigation into those who helped him was inevitable.
"Haa..."
'I suppose I'll have to handle the cleanup too.'
"For now, follow me. We need to hide."
Flutter!
A day after the incident, just as Akumo had told the Xenos, the aftermath continued to plunge Orario into chaos.
"The situation has not been resolved in the slightest."
"Ikelos has been exiled, his Familia annihilated, and there were no Xenos casualties..."
'Is that all?'
"The Xenos have not returned to the Dungeon; they are hiding within the city."
"!!"
"With the Loki Familia leading the search, it's only a matter of time before they are discovered."
"Furthermore, with Ikelos gone, the public's blame is focusing on the children."
The ripples of the event did not fade easily.
There were the residents who suffered from the destruction of the town, the adventurers who felt betrayed by Bell's actions, and the confusion caused by the sudden pillar of light.
"A symbol for their malice to target?"
"Yes. Good children can be as cruel as they are kind."
The conversation between Hermes and Ouranos pierced the heart of the issue. As they predicted, some of the adventurers searching the streets were venting their frustrations.
"Seriously, I can't believe this! That [Little Rookie] brat!"
Thud!
"Doing something so stupid just because he wanted to hog the glory... that damn rabbit!"
Among the adventurers resting amidst the rubble of the destroyed town was Mord. He was fuming, unable to comprehend why Bell had acted the way he did.
"Khahaha! He probably heard he was a record holder or something and his ego hit the ceiling!"
"Serves him right~ Everyone was putting him on a pedestal, but that's over now."
"Hehehe!!"
Smack—!!!!!!!
""!?""
However, seeing his fellow adventurers join in on insulting Bell, Mord threw a water bottle at them, silencing them as if he couldn't stand to hear another word.
"W-What was that for, Mord!"
"Forget it! Just shut up and drink!!"
Gulp, gulp—!!
"Kh... dammit..."
'Just why did you do it, [Little Rookie]...!'
Mord wasn't the only one plagued by such questions.
".....Akumo, I'm going to ask you about your actions now."
"....."
On the rooftop of a tall building overlooking Daedalus Street—a location used to oversee the adventurers while the Loki Familia searched for the hidden Xenos.
"Why did you let the [Little Rookie] go back then?"
"....."
Akumo remained silent despite Finn's interrogation.
Finn and the other executives of the Loki Familia stood around him, watching him intently.
"Akumo...."
"Tell us, Akumo."
"We aren't doubting you."
"Is it because you're close with Argonaut-kun?"
"Tiona, that's not the point right now."
"Hmph! Just hurry up and talk already."
Aiz, Riveria, Gareth, Tiona, Tione, and Bete each spoke to him, hoping for a clear explanation.
Even if they overlooked the capture of the armed monsters since Finn had agreed to it, letting Bell and the monsters near the pillar of light escape required an explanation.
"I have nothing to say."
Clench—!!!
"I let them go because of sentiment."
Boom—!!!!
Naturally, he couldn't give them the answer they wanted.
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